Coward Of The City
by ASlaveToWords
Summary: Yusuke Urameshi is considered the biggest coward around. He won't fight and he won't defend himself; but not because he can't. What's keeping Yusuke from biting back at all those people? Or more importantly; what happens when they push him too far...?


**A/N:** Again, another song fic! lol. This song is 'Coward of the county' by 'Kenny Rodgers'. The words in italics are the words of the song. My dad used to sing this to me all the time and the other day I heard it and immediately thought of Yusuke. He seemed to fit into this so well and I just had to try this fic. Since Yusuke is more of a natural born 'brawler' in the show, I guess you can say this is sort of AU... or a little OOC at the very least for that reason. Nothing to worry about though, I think you'll like this. Also, this is sort of in Koenma's POV if you're wondering -- that should clue up a few certain parts through out. Anyway, hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or the song 'borrowed' in this fic.

* * *

"Hey look! It's Urameshi! Where ya goin' Urameshi?"

"Bet, he's going ta see his mommy!

"Yea, tell her some big, mean bullies are picking on him again!"

"Yea! Run home to your mommy Urameshi!!"

Yusuke clenched his teeth and set his face into a scowl as he continued on down the road to school. His fingernails were leaving half-moon prints in his palms from his clenched fists held tightly in his pockets. Every day it was the same thing; he'd make his way to school, painstakingly ignoring the people's laughs and jeers as he walked by. Was he afraid of those people? Hell no! Could they beat him up if given the opportunity? They wished! They'd never get close enough to land a hit. What with a combination of his natural talent and the amount of time he spent daily honing it, none of the people who teased and pestered him would ever so much as look at him again if they knew what he could do. So why didn't he fight then?

Because he had a promise to keep, that's why.

-----

Somewhere far away, looking down on him through the clouds way up high, sat a very important person, a deep frown etched on his face as his heart ached for the teen he was watching.

"Oh Yusuke..." The Prince said softly. "It's not fair for you to have to go through this... he didn't mean for you to do this to yourself..."

_"Everyone considered him the coward of the city__  
He'd never stood one single time to prove the city wrong.  
His mother named him Yusuke, most just called him yellow  
But something always told me, they were reading Yusuke wrong."_

Koenma sighed and sat back in his chair as he continued to watch Yusuke's image before him, the frown on his face getting deeper by the moment. His heart lurched painfully as he remembered the scene he had witnessed decades ago, the reason Yusuke allowed himself to be walked over each and every day of his life when a single moment could shut those people up forever.

_"He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison  
I watched over Yusuke, cause his mother didn't care  
I still can hear the final words his father said to Yusuke  
'Son my life is over, but yours has just begun._

Promise me son not to do the things I've done  
Walk away from trouble if you can.  
It don't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.  
I hope you're old enough to understand;  
son you don't have to fight to be a man'."

Koenma sighed again and turned away from the screen. It would do neither of them any good for him to just sit there watching the boy. As long as the boy was in no real danger, the Prince could do nothing. So, reluctantly, he stood up from his comfortable chair and left the room.

* * *

"Hey, Keiko! You home?"

Yusuke stopped and listened, noting the silence of the small home. His brows furrowed in confusion. She said she was coming straight home. He knew her parents were gone for a few days so she should be alone, and now that school was over, she could usually be found doing her homework before doing anything else. Still, there was usually music or something playing. Where was she?

Slipping his shoes off, Yusuke walked towards the stairs leading to Keiko's room. As he walked down the hall, he looked in all the rooms and noted the emptiness of them.

"Keiko!" He called again. Still there was no answer.

A sickening feeling was building in the pit of Yusuke's stomach. His pace quickened to a jog, then to a steady trot until eventually he was running.

Yusuke turned a corner and skidded to a stop into the open doorway he'd been heading for. The teen's face contorted in horror at the sight that met his eyes.

Knelt on the floor, her legs spread on either side of her, was his precious brunette girlfriend. Her head was in her hands and she was steadily emitting heavy sobs. Keiko was still wearing her school uniform but the shirt and dress were ripped.

"Oh my God!" Yusuke exclaimed.

In one swift motion, he was on the floor in front of the girl and had her enveloped tightly in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth as she continued to sob.

"Shhh... it's OK, I'm here... I'm here now, it's OK Keiko..."

Keiko clung tightly to Yusuke and buried her face in his chest. It was a long time before Yusuke felt that she'd calmed down slightly and he gently pulled away enough to look into her face.

"What happened..?" He whispered softly.

Keiko didn't answer him but she lifted a shaky hand and pointed to a peculiar object on the floor close by.

Yusuke growled as he caught sight of the object. It was rather small, like merely the tip if nothing else, but it was a piece, nonetheless of a white horn -- or perhaps a claw. Keiko was tough, yes; and it was likely she'd somehow managed to break the piece off, but against the type of creature this had to have come from, she was no match.

-----

In his usual position, Koenma's eyes blurred as he watched the scene before him. It broke his heart knowing exactly what had happened. Again he'd witnessed a horrible, terrible scene and again he was forbidden to interfere. A single tear escaped his eye and rolled swiftly down his cheek as he watched Yusuke remove a hand from comforting Keiko and reach into his pocket. The memories then flew back to him, ones of recent times and ones from much longer ago.

_There's someone for everyone, Yusuke's love was Keiko.  
In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man.  
One day when she got home from school, the demon boys came calling.  
They took turns with Keiko..... and there were three of them._

_When Yusuke walked into her room and saw his Keiko crying.  
The torn dress, the shattered look was more then he could stand.  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his daddy's picture.  
The tears fell on his daddy's face and I heard these words again._

_"Promise me son not to do the things I've done,  
Walk away from trouble if you can.  
It don't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek  
I hope you're old enough to understand;  
Son you don't have to fight to be a man.  
_

* * *

Brown eyes were fixed in a steady gaze as Yusuke walked down the dark alleyway with purpose. His hand closed around a few paper dollars when he stopped in front of a hulking man at the far back of the sketchy alley. The man, arms crossed across his bulky frame, snickered as he looked down at the shorter young man.

"Keep your money." The man rumbled in his deep voice. "The boys'll be wantin' te see you."

Yusuke ignored the man, who was in fact a rather large demon in disguise, and walked past him into the open door. Heading down a long hall, Yusuke's eyes were cold and hard as only one thing occupied his mind.

Stepping through another door, Yusuke walked into the crowded barroom, littered here and there with demons of all kinds. It was a hang-out for the demon kind and people like Yusuke, and also a hard place to be. Still, none of them scared the boy and at the moment, he had a purpose. It was rather early in the evening so not too many demons occupied the room. Still, the ones Yusuke were looking for were present and that's all he needed to know.

Upon spotting him, the barroom fell silent and all eyes turned on Yusuke. One large brute on a stool by the bar grinned as a light above him glinted off a broken horn on his head.

"Lookie here boys!" The demon said brazenly. "Looks like Urameshi's come to join the party."

Yusuke's eyes were cold and hard and he didn't move a muscle as the demon stood from his chair and crossed the room in a few quick strides. Now standing a few feet away from the boy, the demon's grin widened, egged on by the snickering demons all around him.

"You got something to say to me boy?" The demon hissed dangerously.

Narrowing his eyes, Yusuke wordlessly turned around and walked back to the door. This sent the entire bar into a snickering, laughing frenzy.

"Looks like he don't wanna play with you Hudge!" A demon nearby snickered to the huge demon.

The snickers suddenly stopped dead when Yusuke reached the door.

_The demon boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom.  
One of them got up and met him half-way cross the floor_  
_When Yusuke turned around they said; 'Hey, look ol' yellow's leavin!"  
But you could of heard a pin drop when Yusuke stopped and locked the door._

Yusuke paused with his hand on the door knob, now fully aware that the silence in the room was due to the uneasiness the demons there-in now felt. With the help of Koenma, Yusuke had identified the demons who had caused Keiko harm. The rest were all in his bad books for one reason or another and in his current state, the young man was in no position for sympathy or mercy.

"Nah, I don't got nothin' to say to you." Yusuke said, his head still down and shadow on his face.

He looked up and over his shoulder, fixing the demon named Hudge with a cold stare.

"I hear actions speak louder then words."

Before any of the demons could respond or contemplate Yusuke's words, they were all laying flat on their backs or stomachs without consciousness. Turning to the huge demon, the one who's horn Keiko had managed to break off and whom had done her the most harm, he poured all his hatred and anger into one hit as he spoke one final sentence before sending the demon through the bar.

_Fifteen years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him.  
He wasn't holding nothing back; he let 'em have it all  
When Yusuke left the bar room, not a demon boy was standing  
He said; 'this one's for Keiko!' as he watched the last one fall._

Yusuke walked past the demon at the front of the bar and ignored his words as he headed quietly back up the alleyway with his hands in his pockets.

"Still in one piece 'eh boy?" The demon snickered jauntily, completely unaware of what had just occurred inside the underground bar. He snickered again as he watched Yusuke's retreating form get further and further away. No doubt he'd be quite upset when he discovered the happenings inside the bar later, and without a doubt he'd come looking for the boy. But Yusuke didn't care anymore; let them come. He'd done nothing wrong.

Yusuke reached into his pocket and withdrew the old picture again. He starred down at it for a moment as he walked, then put it back in his pocket and continued on his way. Remembering past words from so long ago, he formed a response in his head, knowing somehow that they'd be heard.

_"I promised you dad not to do the things you've done.  
I walk away from trouble when I can.  
Please don't think I'm weak, I couldn't turn the other cheek.  
Father I sure hope you understand;  
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."_

* * *

  
Koenma smiled down at Yusuke from his spot in his comfortable chair. At last, something Yusuke could justify fighting for. Well, let them call him a coward now! After taking out an entire room full of demons alone, he'd be surprised if the boy didn't earn a name for himself! In any case, it didn't matter now.

"Well done Yusuke." The Prince said softly.

_Everyone considered him, the coward of the city......_


End file.
